Last week presented both good news and bad news for Mitt Romney. The good news is that he was universally crowned the winner of the first presidential debate. But the bad news is that unemployment dropped below 8%, thereby removing one of his biggest attack lines against President Obama.
The independent Bureau of Labor Statistics released the September jobs report last Friday, confirming that for the first time since 2009, unemployment has dropped to 7.8%. Republicans have long claimed 8% as the threshold for President Obama’s economic success or failure. With unemployment now below that threshold, Romney’s debate victory is all but erased and his climb for the presidency has become that much more difficult.
While the Obama campaign celebrated the good economic news, Republicans became bitter at the prospects. They wildly spun claims that the numbers were doctored just to help President Obama. Seriously???
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is not a partisan government agency, so it would be a far-fetched conspiracy theory to conclude that the agency suddenly inserted itself into the political debate in favor of one candidate over the other. Also, when unemployment numbers were above 8%, Republicans believed in the integrity of the agency. Now that it has dropped below a number that is politically expedient for them, the agency is no longer reputable. Nonsensical!
So c’mon Republicans! Stop being a bunch of spoiled sports. The truth is the truth. As Americans, you should be ecstatic that fewer or your fellow citizens are out of work and that their future is looking brighter. You should also cut the crap with the conspiracy theories and accept this as the good news that it is.
Sorry, Mitt — these improved unemployment numbers just made us all forget about your dishonest debate performance.
This is good news. And the Dems are right to celebrate it.
However, they should be careful to temper that celebration by reminding Us (the American people) that these numbers could continue to go up and down awhile longer while America continues digging ourselves out the quarry-size hole the Repubs drove this country into. But we seem to be moving in the right direction.
Regarding that embarrassing first debate performance by the President last week:
I have a feeling that's also going to take awhile longer for many Americans to put in the rear-view window. The 2nd debate could go a long way in making that first debate meaningless. It's up to the President.